I have been working on a longer story (novella length, or super skinny novel at just under 30,000 words). The premise for the story struck me back in October, and I hadn't really worked on it again until this April.
I've tied up the plot and now I'm following up on feedback from my test readers. My sister, also a writer, introduced me to the concept of a "story aesthetic," as a visual representation of a narrative. I generated a collage about halfway into the story, and actually only made a couple minor changes since then. In general, I really feel that making this "aesthetic" helped me to envision the movement of the plot and the character dynamics I was still developing at the time.
Hopefully, this novella will find a forever home and I can share it beyond my test readers. In the meantime, here is the aesthetic!
For those interested in generating their own story aesthetics, I recommend using Unsplash. Their site provides images that are totally free to use, which is a godsend for writers and educators. https://unsplash.com
